Abdul El-Sayed ‘left a lot of calls unanswered’ after primary win, says former Michigan lawmaker 1:57

Former Republican Representative Fred Upton of Michigan says Abdul El-Sayed, the winner of the Democratic Senate primary in the state, did not return many calls after securing the nomination. Upton made the comments in a CNN interview that examined a split among Michigan Democrats, pointing to strained relations inside the party.

The rift involves El-Sayed and Representative Haley Stevens, who was his rival in the Democratic primary. Stevens has since endorsed Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for the Senate seat. The conversation also weighed what effect her backing of Rogers might have on the race.

Upton, a former Michigan lawmaker, is himself a Republican who crossed party lines in the 2024 presidential election. His comments came in a segment by CNN's Fredricka Whitfield and Christi Wolf, published on November 1, 2026, in which he discussed how the disagreement between the two Democrats and Stevens's endorsement of the GOP nominee could shape the Senate contest in Michigan.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →